Concept Green Energy Solution CGS1100-B 1250-mAh Solar Assist Portable Charger, Black

I used this to keep my electronic cigarette charged while on a week long "off-grid" camping excursion where we had no access to electricity. It did it's job perfectly.

It doesn't work, won't hold a charge.

I bought one from BIG 5 after searching for a solar charger just to find out that all it really is, is a portable battery you charge at home with a solar panel on front that turns on a little blue light that does absolutely nothing it doesn't charge the device if its in the sun. I am at a loss for what the solar part even is I have already found way better ones after only a short look on amazon that actually do as advertised. I feel bad because I don't usually write reviews for anything but this product really isn't worth it.

This is very deceiving. The photo on amazon is not of the actual product.

This works quite well to keep my iPhone charged. I leave it on a table in my bedroom close to a window and it has always been charged sufficiently to get my phone fully loaded. Even light from my table lamp seems to be able to keep the solar assist unit operating at full capacity. That is the only use I have for it without any other device that needs to be recharged.

Works fine as a standard backup battery but the solar charge is absolutely worthless. Solar panel runs a little blue light on the front and nothing else.

When I first used it, I noticed that it was very difficult to remove my USB plug from it. The next time I used it, it was really sooo difficult to remove the USB plug. So I needed to break it to save my Apple Lightning cable. See attached photos.

This charger is great with a few caveat's. It's slim and fits nicely in your pocket and works well to charge your phone. There are two problems I've encountered. First, the solar charger is all but useless. It is listed as "solar assist", most likely because it doesn't really work. I've left it on windowsills and the car dash for quite some time and the solar doesn't charge the charger. Second, I've had the USB plug get stuck in the charger and won't release. I've gotten it out with some difficulty. I've seen other reviews that haven't been able to get it out at all without damaging the charger. Otherwise it charges quite quickly via USB and works well charging my iPhone. And the price is reasonable.